Last Friday, as I was looking out my home office window facing Grayfox Street, I was surprised by a parade of children passing by, with photographers clicking away. When I drove out a few minutes later to run an errand, lo and behold, members of the City Council were on the corner of Dume and Grayfox for a grandstanding photo op, presumably for the Safe Routes to Schools boondoggle they are supporting. On the following Monday morning between 7:55 and 8:30 a.m., I counted only one young man walking to school.
There will be a meeting on April 4 to air community input. I can only imagine this date was chosen due to the proximity of the election and the fact that no opportunity to criticize the council’s misguided efforts will arise before then. As a lifelong Pt. Dume resident who has three children, I am not opposed to providing safe walkways. However, I am disgusted at the way this project has been shoved down our throats with no real input from residents.
The city has allowed property owners to encroach on the right of way, and has done nothing to address the ever increasing traffic and speeding that has been growing at the Point. Simply enforcing the encroachments and their removal at homeowners’ expense, and putting up no parking signs along one side of the road would sold this problem, without resorting to the unsightly dirt and railroad tie walkways that have begun to spring up.
Also, it would help mitigate the lost parking that will result from this. I have two neighbors directly across the street who have landscaped to the road. When the sidewalk is installed along my extensive property line, where will people park? In the middle of the bushes?
I cannot comprehend why the City Council has not designated a task force of residents from the Point to address all the issues relating to traffic and safety, including speed bumps, and then design and executive a comprehensive plan so that everyone feels better about talking a stroll down the street. This is a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money with little benefit and greater risk. Safe Routes to Schools means more dangerous streets.
Martha Fling